My Beautiful Neighbor (The Greene Family Book 1) by Piper Rayne (android based ebook reader txt) 📗

back. I miss his touch as much as I missed Friends after Netflix removed it. “You don’t like it? Shit… I’m sorry.”

I swivel around, and his hand is pulling on his neck and he’s staring at the floor.

“No.” I shake my head, stepping forward. “I do like it. Too much. Hell, I was envisioning you kidnapping me out of Fired Up and taking me to your truck earlier tonight.”

“What?” he asks quietly.

I shake my head. “Nothing. Forget I said anything.” Damn me and my big mouth.

“I’m confused.” He drops his hand from his neck and stares at me.

I bury my head in my hands, ready to finally hash this out but knowing how embarrassing it’s going to be. “I like the flirting. I like the fact that you openly want me to wear overalls because you want to take them off me.”

“Actually I just want to slide my hand through the opening on the sides.” He chuckles.

His hands land on my shoulders and slide around to my back, resulting in me resting my forehead against his chest. It’s so strong, and damn this feels nice after going all these weeks without affection from anyone. I never dreamed I’d miss my mom’s constant hugs and kisses on the cheek until I came to Alaska and kept my distance from everyone. But being in Cade’s arms feels good, too good. It also feels dangerous.

I step back. “But we can’t.”

“We can.”

He presses his lips to mine, and I don’t push him away. As though he’s worried I’m going to stop the kiss, he slides his tongue through my parted lips and pulls me closer. I open to him, wanting him more than I care about any consequence, at least in this moment.

“I saw red when you walked by the bar with Adam. I’m not a jealous guy,” he whispers, his lips moving down my jaw to my neck.

As he kisses me again, I cling to his hair, threading my fingers through his longer strands, wishing it could be this easy and uncomplicated.

He breaks the kiss, looking pained to do it. “I’m sorry.”

I giggle because if he only knew how badly I’ve wanted to know how he kissed. “Okay, care to explain?”

He sits on the edge of the bed and clasps his hands, his forearms resting on his knees. “I didn’t like you with Adam.”

I laugh. “No, I mean this.” I wave a finger between us.

“You let me kiss you,” he says, those eyebrows raised in question like he always does. “I thought there was a fifty-fifty shot you were gonna smack me.”

“I wasn’t going to smack you.” I laugh.

“Why?”

“Well, you threw me at first. I had no time to react.”

He huffs. “You’re seriously going to go with that?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“That you kissed me back because you liked it. Because you want me just as much as I want you.”

I guffaw. “I hate you.” Lies. All lies.

He stands, putting his hands on my cheeks and staring into my eyes. “Say it again.”

I inhale a deep breath and whisper, “I should hate you.”

“But you don’t.”

“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean we should be kissing either.”

But damn it felt good to go where it feels as though my gut is leading me. I forgot what it was like when you don’t fight what comes naturally.

“And why exactly is that?” He drops his hands and steps back.

“Come on, Cade, I have so many issues, every man should run away from me. I’m trying to find myself in a town that belonged to my birth parents who gave me up and kept my biological sister. The last thing I need to add on to that mindfuck is making time for a boyfriend and putting his needs in front of mine.”

He walks over and glances out the window. He looks lost in thought until he turns around. “You think I don’t have my own issues? I do. And I’m not looking for anything serious either. But damn, I can’t get you out of my head. I’m beating off to you every night and I’m fucking thirty years old.” He throws his hands out to his sides.

There’s a desperation in his voice that makes me want to jump into his arms and tell him I’m here to do with what he wants.

“So what’s the answer to our little dilemma then?” I ask, really hoping he has one. I don’t know how much more of this tension I can take every time I’m around him.

“We could entertain a friends with benefits relationship.” He quirks an eyebrow. “Maybe work it out of our systems. Could be we’re not even sexually compatible,” he says as though he’s thought about it before.

“You could have a small dick.” I shrug.

“Or you could lay there like a dead fish,” he counters.

I shrug because you never know.

“Though I sense the way you rode me like a cowboy at Northern Lights Retirement that I’m probably wrong on that count.”

I shrug again, fighting a smile. His idea has its merits. Sexual satisfaction with no emotional entanglement? No further complications to my life. The denial of wanting Cade Greene is slowly becoming unbearable and something is going to give.

“I guess we have our answer then.”

A slow grin spreads across his face and he walks back over to me. “Great. It’s settled.”

I put up my hand and step back. “We need some rules.”

“For sure, let’s get the rules sorted out.”

It’s my suggestion, so why is the next thought in my head that rules are made to be broken?

She’s right. If we don’t put down some firm expectations and things to stay away from, we’re asking for trouble.

“No one can know,” she says.

“You embarrassed to be sleeping with me?”

“No, but if people know, rumors and expectations of marriage and babies won’t be far behind.”

I nod. “Deal.”

“No sleepovers, no restaurants.”

“You’re a dream come true.” I lean forward, my lips begging to touch hers again.

“Do you have any rules?” she asks.

“One,” I say, holding up my finger.

“Okay,